While things are always much more complicated than they seem to the outside world, for many fans, the story of Genesis can be broken down into two distinct parts, the Peter Gabriel-fronted era, and the Phil Collins-led one.
Although Genesis remained successful despite their various lineup changes, and astutely managed to hone their sound in line with changing times and tastes, for their diehard followers, it has always been a question of who was the better frontman out of the two, as both represent completely different things.
The Gabriel-fronted era was when Genesis were deeply ensconced in the world of prog-rock. They became genre pioneers with early albums such as 1972’s Foxtrot and ultimately cemented their place in the form’s history with the final album to feature Gabriel as frontman, 1974’s The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.
In short, the Gabriel era was when they were an experimental outfit, exploring the deepest recesses of rock music and creating sounds which were largely otherworldly at the time.
On the other hand, after Collins took the lead in the wake of Gabriel’s departure, the band would gradually shed their distinctly prog skin, and move towards the realm of pop, just with a smattering proggy inclinations. This worked perfectly for them, as their fusion of rock, pop and prog was a fitting soundtrack for the era, and it played a key part in establishing the musical zeitgeist of the 1980s.
You could even ask yourself if a rock band has ever managed to evolve into something as pop-orientated, or successful, as they have. It was an astounding change, and a big credit has to go to Collins’ songwriting and direction.
Despite their iterations of Genesis being distinct, both Gabriel and Collins remain friendly. When speaking to Uncut in 2025, Collins even outlined why people loved his predecessor’s era.
“I think people loved the mystery of those days with Peter,” Collins admitted. “I always think of him as the mysterious traveller in the band, and it all became a lot more normal when I became singer. I was the guy next door and I didn’t cultivate that Mister Mystery, with the masks, the costumes.”
In that same interview, the band accepted that this cordial nature between members past and present has a lot to do with their private education. In Collins’ words, they were taught to be gentlemen, and not express their feelings – a deeply British idiosyncrasy.
“They were the last generation that were bred to be officers and gentlemen,” Collins concluded. “All those guys were left like a bit of a loose sail, not knowing quite what to do because that vision for them was already out-dated. They were left all puffed up, but with nowhere to go.”
